Reasonable Doubt

The idea behind "Reasonable Doubt" is a pretty nifty one, (a young, hotshot prosecutor is involved in a hit-and-run and then finds himself prosecuting another man accused of the crime, and that's just the beginning of his problems), and to be fair what follows does make for a moderately exciting, if a nevertheless, preposterous thriller. (It also helps that Samuel L Jackson is involved). But while the initial idea may be good, the script is atrocious and Dominic Cooper's performance as the prosecutor is way off the mark; he just seems to be going through the motions and his character is impossible to take seriously. Nor does director Peter Howitt, (credited as Peter P Croudins) show any flair or apparent interest in the material. It's watchable in that of made-for-TV-movie kind of way but it could have been so much more.

This film tells the story of a young district attorney in Boston whose life is turned upside down after knocking a man over on the street with his car. He faces moral dilemmas, strange circumstances and much danger.

The plot is quick paced and suspenseful, and the tone of the film changes several times as the circumstances around Mitch changes. I quite like these twists and turns as it maintains the thrill and urgency throughout the film. His moral dilemma is also well depicted. Dominic Cooper does a good job in portraying the law enforcer who is in various difficult situations. I liked "Reasonable Doubt".

But it's still pretty decent. Only if you overlook the major flaws of course (character decisions are purely executed on the "what's the worst decision I could make?" scale, always choosing exactly that one), which shouldn't be too difficult because of the actors in it. Yes the inciting incident is as stupid as it gets (especially considering the lawyer position). The movie tries to make up for that, by showing the past of our main character, which sort of is trying to make the decision relating to the viewer.

Of course Samuel L. Jackson does not care, what the character is or if some would consider the script weak. His performance is top notch once again. Just him picking up a glass of water and sipping from it, is a delight to watch (especially considering the circumstances of that scene and how it came to be). While there is a lot of stuff going on, that you won't really like, the actors are the anchors here, reeling this one in, before it goes completely overboard ...

There seems to be a trend in 'straight to DVD' movies these days... it involves getting an A-list star's face on all its promotional material and basically marketing it as if they're in it all the way through. In the case of 'Reasonable Doubt' you may have noticed Samuel L Jackson's foreboding face glaring at you from the posters. Yes, he is in it. No, he's not in it as much as most people would probably like.

It's about a District Attorney (who's definitely NOT Samuel L Jackson) who, while driving home drunk, runs over a man and then leaves him for dead. Later he discovers that Samuel L Jackson has been charged with the crime and so our tipsy lawyer must search his soul as to whether or not to let Sam take the fall. There are a few more plot points which I won't go into, as they will give away the 'twists and turns' that are involved.

Regarding the 'twists and turns' – you may see some of them coming and you may not believe the others. There are a few moments in the film where you really do have to 'suspend your disbelief' to actually carry on watching. Just enjoy Sam's performance and don't think too much about the gaps in logic.

Basically, 'Reasonable Doubt' is an okay film. If you like thrillers you can certainly do worse. It's one of those films that, if you stumble across it on TV late at night, it's worth watching. However, you probably might feel a little cheated if you paid full price to buy it on Blu-ray, especially as Samuel L Jackson isn't in it as much as most people would probably like.

Best to watch/rent first before you buy.

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Dominic Cooper plays Mitch Brockden, a brilliant young Assistant D.A. in Chicago who unwittingly finds himself intertwined in a cat-mouse game with Clinton Davis, played by Samuel Jackson.

If you're just looking for a fairly standard legal-suspense thriller, this one should do. Decent acting and vivid cinematography help to cover over the various inconsistencies in the plot, which, though it has a few unexpected flourishes, is otherwise right off the old cutting board. There's not much in the way of subtlety or food for speculation: Everything is explained neatly away in the dialogue. Some surprises here and there, but REASONABLE DOUBT ends up pretty much the way you probably think it will. A number of people were obviously more impressed by this film than I was, but then again, a number of others obviously weren't. Oh well, REASONABLE DOUBT kept my attention, and I made it to the end without any problem.